Critical Review: “Fear of (and Fascination with) a Black Planet” by David Hayes

In his article Haye’s discusses the complex relationship between rap music, black identity, and white culture. Although rap music began as, and continues to be, an African-American style of music, white interest in rap and the lifestyle associated with it have propelled rap into the mainstream such that it is now consumed by suburban white youth as well as blacks in the inner city.

In order to do research on white fans of rap in suburban communities, Hayes studied a rural Ontario town called Scottsville in 2003. Scottsville is a town with no real visible racial diversity and the majority of its inhabitants display “small town values” and reject urbanity. Scottsville inhabitants also tend to display a fear of outsiders, though they perceive themselves as a site of diversity.

Within Scottsville is a group of youths who break from the typical white culture by listening to rap music and adopting a “rap” lifestyle. They mimic the attitudes of blacks as portrayed to them by the mass media and think of themselves as more worldly than their peers, though they had seldom traveled beyond Scottsville.

There are inherent problems with these teens’ fascination with rap culture. Firstly, they are enthralled by the auras of defiance displayed by rappers meant to communicate resilience in the face of a systematic racism. Next, their interest stems from a fascination with people who are different and “exotic.” These youths also tend to use stereotyping in their interpretations, as many view all black people as embodiments of rap culture. As Hayes states, “through their rearticulations of black urban culture, these adolescents effectively disrupt locally constructed notions of white, rural youth identity but, in the process, reaffirm popular imaginations of black, urban youth as homogeneous subjects: street-smart, self-serving, and willing to resort to violence whenever necessary” (Hayes 68). Finally, in their quest to emulate rap icons, the Scottsville rap fans attempt to recreate black neighborhoods in Scottsville by “acting street” and fighting against members of authority. Still, there is an element of hypocrisy in this, as they are happy they don’t live in a community that is actually dangerous.

While Tupac is considered to be “authentic” because he raps about true stories from the streets, Snoop Dogg is criticized as a sellout because his new music focuses on his new lavish lifestyle as opposed to his old life of hardship. From this, Hayes could divulge that a rapper is considered “authentic” if he is able “to transport [people] to a landscape marked by misogyny, violence, crime, racism and other societal ills perceived to be endemic to (black) inner city life” (Hayes 71). Though white rap fans in Scottsville think of themselves as experts, they lack the resources to keep up with raps evolving nature. This was displayed by their sole mention of East and West coast rap, not any of the other centers that have recently emerged. Upon further research, however, Hayes realized that the Scottsville fans liked Coastal rap more because it was associated with the hardship of life in the inner city. In other words, they are attracted to rap because it portrays a world that seems more exciting than their own. Without a deeper understanding of the issues that significantly impact the residents of rap’s central locations, however, Scottsville youths reduce complex issues to a series of clichéd interpretations. One teen, for example, stated that racism no longer existed. He therefore believed blacks chose a violent lifestyle as opposed to being pushed into it (and thus did the same in his own life).

Still, when confronted with black rap fans in person, these white youths seem uneasy. Blacks in person are seen by these youths as dangerous. They also feel uncomfortable because they feel as if they’re stepping on a piece of black culture. When actually faced with black culture, one of the interviewees felt the need to retract back into white culture.

These teens are not only unable to successfully integrate into the black community, but they are marginalized by members of their own communities because they don’t act according to white codes. Non-rap fans also base ideas about rap off of mainstream media. They find rap to be a bad influence on their society. Blacks are viewed as violent, overly materialistic, and live in ghettos. Although their rap-positive peers also unintentionally expressed these same racist notions, they seemed to support these characteristics as opposed to condone them. They also think of rap as a form of music heavily promoted by the music industry. Most disturbing of all, white rural rap fans are labeled by non-fans as “whiggers” (white niggers). This term shows us the deeply entrenched racist roots of Canadian society. Non-fans think of the fans as embodiments of racist imagery, and therefore they are uncomfortable that the “inner city” has moved to their hometown. This opposition only gives white rap fans in Scottsville a sense of social identity and provides them a source of conflict for which rap’s themes of resistance can be applied.

Although white suburban interest in rap has the potential to lessen racism, the Scottsville rap fans must first overcome local perceptions of race that permeate Scottsville and inform themselves of rap’s social contexts.

Discussion Question: How would Scottsville residents feel about white rappers such as Eminem? Is Eminem viewed as legitimate within the black community?